New Zealand trivia: 48 questions and answers

Wellington. Wellington has been the capital since 1865. Auckland is the largest city and was the capital from 1841 to 1865.

Aoraki / Mount Cook. Aoraki / Mount Cook in the Southern Alps, 3,724 m high. Mount Ruapehu is the highest peak in the North Island, and Mount Kosciuszko is in Australia.

Waikato. The Waikato, 425 km long, flows out of Lake Taupō, over the Huka Falls and past Hamilton to the Tasman Sea.

Aotearoa. Aotearoa. Te Waipounamu is the Māori name of the South Island only, Rarotonga is in the Cook Islands, and Hawaiki is the homeland in Māori tradition.

False. False. New Zealand has no land borders. Its nearest large neighbour, Australia, is more than 1,500 km away across the Tasman Sea.

6 February. 6 February 1840, at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. 25 April is Anzac Day, 19 September 1893 is when women won the vote, and 26 September 1907 is when New Zealand became a dominion.

Auckland. Auckland was the capital from 1841. In 1865 Parliament moved to Wellington, which was more central.

Napier. Napier. The Hawke's Bay earthquake of 3 February 1931 killed 256 people and destroyed much of the city, which was rebuilt in the style of the time.

True. True. The law received royal assent on 19 September 1893, after a campaign led by Kate Sheppard, and women first voted that November.

False. False. Women won the vote in 1893, but they could not stand for Parliament until 1919.

False. False. The two texts differ, especially about sovereignty, which led to long disagreement. The Waitangi Tribunal gives extra weight to the Māori text, which most chiefs signed.

Food cooked in an earth oven on heated stones. A hāngī is food cooked in an earth oven on heated stones: baskets of meat and vegetables are covered with earth for several hours. The bread made with a potato starter is rēwena, and the lemon drink is L&P.

Honeycomb toffee. Honeycomb toffee, which New Zealanders call hokey pokey. It is the country's second most popular ice cream flavour after vanilla.

A Russian ballerina. A Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who toured New Zealand and Australia in the 1920s. Both countries claim to have invented the dessert.

Otago and Southland. Otago and Southland, in the south of the South Island. They are one of the few recipes that belong mainly to one of the two main islands.

A can of reduced cream. A can of reduced cream, often with a little lemon juice or vinegar. The 'kiwi' in the name means New Zealand, not the fruit.

True. True. They are the young of five kinds of native galaxiid fish, caught in rivers during a short legal season.

False. False. Despite its name, the chocolate and cornflake biscuit is thought to come from New Zealand, where recipes were printed in the 1930s.

Edinburgh. Edinburgh, called Dùn Èideann in Scottish Gaelic. Dunedin was founded by Scottish settlers in 1848.

True. True. Wellington, at about 41 degrees south, is further south than any other national capital. It is also famous for its strong winds.

Tongariro National Park. Tongariro National Park, listed for both its volcanoes and its Māori cultural meaning. As of 2026 New Zealand has three World Heritage Sites.

Glowworms. Glowworms, the glowing larvae of a gnat found only in New Zealand. Visitors see them from a boat on the underground stream.

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson, who spotted the farm from the air in 1998.

Rotorua. Rotorua, in the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley. The geyser erupts up to 20 times a day, up to 30 m high.

True. True. The fiord, officially Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, is part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

True. True. Shigeru Ban designed it without charge after the 2011 earthquake, using more than 90 large cardboard tubes. It opened in 2013.

False. False. At 328 m it held that title from its completion until 2022, when it was overtaken by the Autograph Tower in Jakarta.

The Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands in Northland, next to the town of Paihia. Golden Bay is where Abel Tasman's ships anchored in 1642.

Dunedin. Dunedin. At its steepest point, Baldwin Street rises about 1 m for every 2.86 m it runs forward.

Queenstown. Queenstown. AJ Hackett's bungy site is on the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, not far from the town.

Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund Hillary, who with Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to reach the top of Mount Everest, in 1953. Apart from monarchs, he is the only person shown on a New Zealand banknote during his lifetime.

85. 85 letters, one of the longest place names in the world.

True. True. About 94 percent of Zealandia is under the Pacific Ocean. In 2017 geologists concluded that it counts as a continent.

True. True. It was first celebrated as a public holiday on 24 June 2022. Matariki is the Māori name of the Pleiades star cluster.

False. False. The kiwi is flightless. The female lays an egg that can weigh up to 20 percent of her body weight.

Family. Family, especially the wider extended family. It is pronounced roughly 'FAA-noh', because 'wh' usually sounds like 'f'.

Food. Food, or a meal. House is 'whare', child is 'tamaiti' (children: 'tamariki') and river is 'awa'.

A New Zealander of European descent. A New Zealander of European descent. An elder is a 'kaumātua' and children are 'tamariki'.

True. True. That is why 'whānau' sounds like 'FAA-noh' and 'whare' like 'FAH-reh'.

Hello, and also thank you. Hello, and also thank you. It literally wishes good health. 'Sorry' is 'Aroha mai', 'see you later' is 'Mā te wā' and 'be strong' is 'Kia kaha'.

Mōrena. Mōrena. 'Ka pai' means good or well done, 'Haere rā' is goodbye, and 'Kia kaha' means be strong.

Tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou greets three or more people. Tēnā koe greets one person and Tēnā kōrua two, while 'Kei te pai' means 'I'm fine'.

True. True. The person staying says 'Haere rā' to the one who goes, and the person leaving says 'E noho rā' to those who stay.

111. 111, for police, fire and ambulance. 000 is Australia's number and 999 is Britain's.

Australia. Australia. Australian citizens need neither a visa nor an NZeTA, while visitors from visa-waiver countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany need an NZeTA.

Flip-flops. Flip-flops, the rubber sandals. The name comes from 'Japanese sandals'.

False. False. New Zealand drives on the left, like Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom.

True. True. Strict biosecurity protects New Zealand's farms and native nature. When in doubt, declare it.